Sacrifice
by krishp
Summary: It's time for Hera's annual worship day. What...or rather who...will the followers of Hera sacrifice this year?
1. Chapter 1

* * *

"Sacrifice"

At a temple in the countryside, not too far from the Academy, a meeting is being held...

"Sisters," the tall stately woman called the group of women to order. "As you all know, two days from now is the most sacred day of our worship. The day to honor Hera, Queen of the Gods! Now we need to decide what we are going to do to commemorate this event. Are there any ideas?"

"How about an offering of the most succulent fruit in the land?" a young woman near the back called out.

"No, that's what we did two years ago. How about a mound of gold jewelry?" another sister called.

"No, it must be something special. Something no one has ever done before. Something that people will remember for years to come!" the leader said.

"I have an idea," came a timid voice from the far corner of the room.

Everyone turned in surprise - who had spoken?

The girl stepped out from the shadows. It was Sarafina, a relatively new recruit into the house of Hera. She had lived with the group for only four months and rarely spoke out.

"Yes, Sarafina? What is your idea?"

"Well, instead of just giving Hera material things, we should do something to show our appreciation of her. We should do something in her name, to honor her."

"And what do you have in mind?"

"We should sacrifice Hercules."

A gasp arose from the crowd.

"Sacrifice the son of Zeus? I don't believe that would be a wise idea, my child."

"I disagree. Hercules is the bane of Hera's existence - he is tangible proof that her lord, Zeus, has been unfaithful to her! How can we, as her followers, allow her to be taunted with his exploits day in and day out? It is an insult! We must do something! And if Zeus is angered with us, then so be it! I have pledged my life to Hera - and if doing this for her costs me my life, well then it is a price I pay freely and without regrets!"

The crowd was clearly moved by Sarafina's speech. The leader, Omphala, called them to order.

"All right - we have all heard the suggestions of our sisters. Which choice are we in favor of?"

The crowd voiced their choice - they agreed with Sarafina. Hera could no longer be insulted by Hercules' existence!

Omphala spoke again. "And exactly how should we go about this, Sarafina? Since it was your idea, I will let you plan our attack. Remember, though, Hercules is part-god. He is much stronger than we are."

"Not in cunning, Sister. I propose we lure him to us, and drug him. I have some herbs that will do the trick nicely."

"And how do you propose that we lure him to us?"

"He's a young man. I'm a young woman. It will be as simple as taking candy from a baby."

* * *

Two Days Later

Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason were all playing a game of melon ball on the south grounds of the Academy. At the moment, Jason was winning, but then Hercules kicked a high ball over Iolaus's head and down the slope towards the forest.

"Air-ball! Air-ball! Good one, Herc!" Iolaus said, laughing. "I think it's your turn to go get the ball, buddy!"

"Yeah, like you're doing any better, Iolaus! I think I have more points than you!"

Jason butted in then - "yeah, well I have more points than both of you! Ha! Hurry up and get the ball, Herc!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going, I'm going..." Herc muttered, as he walked down the hill.

It was a beautiful spring day and he and the guys had been having fun after classes. After that morning's algebra workout, they had all been ready for some games. _Why do I need to know that anyway? I'm sure it will never be useful in the real world..._

Herc continued thinking about the futileness of algebra while looking for the ball. He finally saw it. In the hands of one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

She had long shimmering brown hair, that also seemed to glow red in the bright sunshine. Her eyes were as green as the grass, and her features - all of them - were just perfect. She was smiling at him and holding the ball, clutched tightly to her chest.

"Hello," she said. "Is this yours?"

Her voice sounded like music to him. "Um, uh, um, uh...yeah, yeah it is. Thanks." Herc stumbled on the words, stunned into silence at the beauty standing in front of him. He reached for the ball, but instead of giving it to him, the girl continued to hold it.

"I was wondering...could you help me? Our wagon is stuck in a ditch and we've pulled and pulled but we just can't seem to get it free."

"Um...'we'?"

"Oh, yes. Silly me. My sisters and I - the wagon is just over this hill. Do you think you could help us be on our way?"

"Oh, sure, of course! Lead the way!" Hercules said. "By the way, I'm Hercules."

He held out his hand, waiting for her to shake it.

"Oh! How rude of me," she said, while shaking his hand. "My name is Sarafina."

Hercules and Sarafina walked over the top of the hill, and there in front of him was a wagon, stuck in a ditch, with six women standing around it. None of them were as beautiful as Sarafina, but they were all very nice. They thanked him profusely for coming to their rescue. He didn't pick up anything odd about them, although he did notice that each and every one of them was wearing a peacock feather.

Hercules set about the task of getting the wagon out of the ditch. It took some pulling and maneuvering, not to mention some help from the mules, but in the end Herc won out. The wagon was free and ready to go.

The day was very warm, and Herc had worked up a sweat removing the wagon. He wiped his forehead and was surprised when Sarafina pressed a glass of cool water into his hand.

"Here. You look thirsty. Thank you so much for assisting us. You've been a great help."

Hercules just smiled sheepishly at her. "Oh, it was nothing. Thanks for the water, though, I am kinda thirsty." With that, he took two long swallows from the glass. He handed the glass back to Sarafina and was about to ask her where she lived or where she was headed when he suddenly felt light-headed. He stumbled a bit and leaned up against the wagon.

"Are you alright, Hercules?" Sarafina asked.

"Yeah - yeah, I'm just fiiiiiii..." Herc said, as he slowly collapsed onto the ground.

Sarafina leaned over him and checked to make sure he had a pulse. Then she called to her sisters and they pulled him into the wagon and sped away.

Hercules had been gone from the others for only ten minutes.

* * *

Jason and Iolaus were wondering what was taking Hercules so long.

"Do you think he got lost?" Iolaus asked.

"No," Jason replied. "That's something I would expect of you, but not of Herc."

"Yea- HEY! I'll have you know I'm a great tracker! I never get lost, not like you oh great Prince!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I seem to clearly remember that time when you said, 'oh, I know where the weapons stockroom is, let's go and see what sort of goodies this palace has'. You got lost in your own palace! How pathetic!"

Jason flushed embarrassedly. "Yeah, well, that place is big. And they moved the stockroom, I know they did."

"Yeah, uh-huh. Tell me another one. I remember -"

"Actually, you know, it's been like 20 minutes. Herc should have been back by now. Maybe we should go look for him."

"Yeah, uh-huh. Okay, let's go look. You can apologize later." Iolaus set off towards the hill.

"Apologize? For what? Ha, I bet I can beat you to the bottom of the hill!"

"Yeah, right! In your dreams, buddy-boy!"

The two began to race down the hill full-speed. They got to the bottom but still saw no signs of Hercules. They continued over the next rise, calling Herc's name, and that's when they saw it.

The ball.

Sitting alone, next to fresh wagon tracks.

"I don't get a good feeling from this, Iolaus."

"Neither do I."

"I think you'd better use those tracking skills of yours - I have a hunch we need to find this wagon."

* * *

Hercules awoke with a pounding headache. He opened his eyes slowly and realized he was inside, in some sort of temple it looked like. He tried to move his hand to rub his eyes but they wouldn't move. He looked down and realized that he was chained. He tried to sit up, too, but found that he couldn't.

It was then that he realized he was lying down, on some sort of altar. His arms and legs were chained it, and as hard as he tried, he still couldn't break the chains.

"Don't wear yourself out. Those chains were forged by the gods. They're unbreakable."

Hercules turned his head towards the now-familiar voice. "Sarafina? What happened? What are you doing? Why?"

"I'm sorry, Hercules, it's nothing personal. But I am a devotee of Hera. And today is her special worship day."

"Hera." Hercules said the name with disgust. He knew that his stepmother, the Queen of the Gods, hated him. She had tried several times to inadvertently have him killed, but to no avail. Now it seemed as though she had her minions do her dirty work for her.

"Don't listen to Hera, Sarafina. She's just using you to hurt me. I bet she didn't tell you about Zeus' protection order, did she? If you hurt me, then he'll send you to Tartarus!"

"I know."

Herc was flabbergasted. "You..you know? What do you mean you know? Do you want to spend eternity in Tartarus? It's not a very nice place, you know!"

"I know about the protection order. And I am willing to sacrifice my life in order to avenge the wrongs committed against my Queen."

"But she's using you!"

"No she's not, Hercules. She doesn't even know about this - this is our gift to her. Today is her most sacred day, and we decided the most fitting way to honor her would be to erase the reminder of Zeus' unfaithfulness!"

"Erase? **ERASE**? I'm a human being, Sarafina, not just a mistake on a writing tablet! Listen to reason! It's not my fault who my parents are! And it's not like I'm the only mortal son of Zeus, he's got a lot of other kids!"

"But none are as celebrated as YOU!" Sarafina said, with venom in her voice. "Every time a minstrel sings your praises it is like a knife in the heart to her! No woman should have to be reminded every day of how their husband has been with others, chosen other women over you! No one! If I can ease even part of her burden I will! And if it costs me my life, then so be it!"

"Sarafina -"

"QUIET! I am tired of arguing with you. Enough of this." With that, she grabbed a scarf and tied it around Hercules' mouth, silencing him. He still glared at her, though.

"It does not matter if you hate me, Hercules. Save your energy for your trip across the River Styx."

Sarafina then walked out of the room and called to her sisters. "It is time for the ceremony!"

Suddenly, the room was filled with about fifty women. All of them were holding lit candles and were dressed in simple white dresses, adorned with peacock feathers. A sign of Hera - he should have recognized it back at the wagon. Hercules cursed himself for being fooled by another pretty face. When would he learn? If it was up to these women, he never would, he realized.

They had started a chant, dancing around the altar. He looked up and saw Sarafina pull a huge ornate dagger out of a case. She then took it and slid it under the edge of Hercules' shirt and sliced it open. She then held the dagger in both hands, high above her head, the blade pointed downward.

"Oh, Great Hera - Queen of all the Gods, accept this sacrifice to you! We offer this to you as a way to shield yourself from the further humiliation of having a mortal stepchild! No longer shall this child live to mock you, to remind you of your love's unfaithfulness! Accept this in our name, oh great Hera!"

Hercules saw Jason and Iolaus enter the temple out of the corner of his eye. But unfortunately it was at the same time Sarafina made the downstroke, plunging the knife into his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Hercules awoke with a start, a scream dying on his lips. He sat in his bunk, at the Academy, his breath coming in gasps as his heart pounded in his ears.

"Herc? Herc, are you okay? Did you just scream?" Iolaus asked, worry in his voice.

"That...that was just so-so real," Hercules said, still trying to calm his nerves.

"What was? What happened?"

"I had a dream -"

"A dream? You got this worked up over a dream?"

"Well, not a dream, more a nightmare I guess. I was lying chained to an altar and was surrounded by all these women..."

"Sounds like my kind of dream!"

Herc shot Iolaus a disgusted look. "No, it wasn't. They were followers of Hera - they were going to sacrifice me so she wouldn't be reminded that Zeus had cheated on her with my mom."

"They were going to sacrifice you?"

"Yeah - when I woke up, they were stabbing me with this huge dagger. It...it just seemed so real, I swear I could feel the knife go in." Hercules clutched his chest at the memory. "And you and Jason were there, too - you were running in the temple just as the woman was stabbing me."

"That sounds really freaky, Herc. Did you recognize any of these women?"

"No, I just remember they were wearing white. That's about it. I feel like there's something else I should remember, but it's just not coming to me...it's right on the tip of my tongue..."

"Well, don't worry about it, Herc. It's just a dream."

"Yeah, I guess you're right...goodnight, Iolaus."

"Night, Herc."

Iolaus rolled over and was back to sleep in minutes.

Hercules lay awake all night, the memory of that knife vivid in his mind.

* * *

The next day, Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason were all playing a game of melon ball on the south grounds of the Academy. At the moment, Jason was winning, but then Iolaus kicked a ball right to Hercules. He missed it, and it rolled down the hillside and towards the forest.

"Hey, pay attention, buddy! That was a good one, Herc!" Iolaus said, laughing. "I think it's your turn to go get the ball!"

"Yeah, like you're doing any better, Iolaus! I think I have more points than you!" Herc said, absently.

Jason butted in then - "yeah, well I have more points than both of you! Ha! Hurry up and get the ball, Herc!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going, I'm going..." Herc muttered, as he walked down the hill.

It was a beautiful spring day and he and the guys had been having fun after classes. After that morning's algebra workout, they had all been ready for some games. Hercules' mind really wasn't on the game, though. He kept thinking about that dream, and how realistic it had seemed.

Herc continued thinking about his dream while looking for the ball. He finally saw it. In the hands of one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

She had long shimmering brown hair, that also seemed to glow red in the bright sunshine. Her eyes were as green as the grass, and her features - all of them - were just perfect. She was smiling at him and holding the ball, clutched tightly to her chest.

"Hello," she said. "Is this yours?"

"Um, uh, um, uh...yeah, yeah it is. Thanks." Herc stumbled on the words, stunned into silence at the beauty standing in front of him. That and the fact that there was something about her...something familiar. He couldn't quite grasp it, but he felt as though he had met her before. He then reached for the ball, but instead of giving it to him, the girl continued to hold it.

"I was wondering...could you help me? Our wagon is stuck in a ditch and we've pulled and pulled but we just can't seem to get it free."

Hercules almost said yes, but something kept telling him to say no. "Um...I'm sorry, I have to get back to my friends. They're waiting for me."

"Oh, please? My sisters and I need to get to market. And the stupid mules are just no help at all."

Once again, Hercules was tempted to say yes, but then he saw it. A peacock feather on her dress. A symbol of Hera's followers... "No, I'm sorry, I really can't help. Could I have my ball back, please?"

The girl looked disappointed, but started to hand over the ball. "Well, okay. I hope we can find someone else to help us. Can you at least look at our map and tell us if we're headed the right way?" She started to pull something out of her pouch while Hercules took the ball.

"Oh, um, ok," Herc agreed, leaning closer. Suddenly she pulled her hand up and blew a powder into his face. Herc breathed some in, and stumbled back, coughing, his eyes burning, his throat getting scratchy.

"What...what was that? What did you do to me?" he said, as he grabbed at the girl. He pulled on her arm, and she turned her face towards him. It was as cold as ice.

"Nothing personal."

"Nothing pers...?" Herc started to say, before he collapsed on the ground.

Sarafina immediately called to her sisters and they ran and picked him up, and carried him back to their wagon. The sisters and the mules worked for over fifteen minutes getting it out of the ditch, and then were on their way back to the temple.

* * *

Jason and Iolaus were wondering what was taking Hercules so long.

"Do you think he got lost?" Iolaus asked.

"No," Jason replied. "That's something I would expect of you, but not of Herc."

"Yea- HEY! I'll have you know I'm a great tracker! I never get lost, not like you oh great Prince!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I seem to clearly remember that time when you said, 'oh, I know where the weapons stockroom is, let's go and see what sort of goodies this palace has'. You got lost in your own palace! How pathetic!"

Jason flushed embarrassedly. "Yeah, well, that place is big. And they moved the stockroom, I know they did."

"Yeah, uh-huh. Tell me another one. I remember -"

"Actually, you know, it's been like 20 minutes. Herc should have been back by now. Maybe we should go look for him."

"Yeah, you know he has been pre-occupied all day, too," Iolaus said as he set off towards the hill.

"With what?"

"He had this freaky dream last night that someone was killing him."

"Well that doesn't sound good...Come on, I'll race you to the hill, let's find him."

The two began to race down the hill full-speed. They got to the bottom but still saw no signs of Hercules. They started calling Herc's name, and that's when they saw it.

The ball.

Lying on the forest floor, next to a peacock feather.

Iolaus got there first and immediately realized what it meant. "We've got to get going, Jason, and fast!"

"What? Where? What happened, and where's Herc?"

"He had a dream last night that followers of Hera kidnaped him and sacrificed him on an altar."

"Yeah, and?"

"And this is a peacock feather! All followers of Hera wear peacock feathers! What if his dream was a premonition? We have to get to Hera's temple, and now! Look - these are fresh wagon tracks. It looks like a mule is pulling it - they couldn't have gotten that much of a head start. If we go to the stables and get some fast horses we should make it there before they do!"

"And what if we're wrong and they go somewhere else?"

"Don't even think like that, Jason!"

The two friends then ran full-throttle back towards the Academy grounds and stables.

* * *

Hercules awoke with a pounding headache. He opened his eyes slowly and realized he was inside, in some sort of temple it looked like. He tried to move his hand to rub his eyes but they wouldn't move. He looked down and realized that he was chained. He tried to sit up, too, but found that he couldn't.

It was then that he realized he was lying down, on some sort of altar. His arms and legs were chained it, and as hard as he tried, he still couldn't break the chains. He was overcome with an overwhelming sense of deja vu.

His dream was coming true. All of it. And if he didn't find a way to free himself, then he knew Sarafina would kill him, with that dagger.

"Don't wear yourself out. Those chains were forged by the gods. They're unbreakable."

Hercules turned his head towards the now-familiar voice. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to kill me."

"Today is Hera's sacred day of worship. And we have decided that we will honor her by ridding her life of a complication. Namely you."

"Complication? I'm a human being, Sarafina, not just something you can get rid of! Listen to reason! It's not my fault who my father is! I don't even know him. What is with these gods? They're always trying to kill me for something I can't control! And now you want to honor one of them by doing their dirty work! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of always having to watch my back because Zeus is my father! Why can't Hera and Ares just leave me alone and let me live my own life? I didn't ask for this you know!"

"Oh, I have had ENOUGH of you! It's time for you to be quiet!" With that, she grabbed a scarf and tied it around Hercules' mouth, silencing him. He still glared at her, though.

"It does not matter if you hate me, Hercules. Save your energy for your trip across the River Styx."

Sarafina then walked out of the room and called to her sisters. "It is time for the ceremony!"

Suddenly, the room was filled with about fifty women. All of them were holding lit candles and were dressed in simple white dresses, adorned with peacock feathers.

They had started a chant, dancing around the altar. He looked up and saw Sarafina pull a huge ornate dagger out of a case. The dagger from his dream. It was really happening - and as hard as he tried to break his bonds, he couldn't. They held fast, keeping him on that altar.

Sarafina then took the dagger and slid it under the edge of Hercules' shirt and sliced it open. She then held the dagger in both hands, high above her head, the blade pointed downward.

"Oh, Great Hera - Queen of all the Gods, accept this sacrifice to you! We offer this to you as a way to shield yourself from the further humiliation of having a mortal stepchild! No longer shall this child live to mock you, to remind you of your love's unfaithfulness! Accept this in our name, oh great Hera!"

As Sarafina began the downstroke, the doors of the temple burst open. An archer shot at Sarafina and caught her in the shoulder right before the tip would have pierced Hercules' chest. She was thrown back against the other worshipers as the temple was filled with cadets and constables. Jason and Iolaus led the charge, helping round up the women.

They then went over to Hercules and pulled the gag off his mouth.

"Cut it a little close there, didn't you?" Hercules gasped.

"Well that's a fine thank-you! We knew we needed help. It just took that archer a little longer to set up the shot than we thought it would, that's all," Jason said.

"Oh, yeah, that's all..." Herc said, in a shaky voice.

Iolaus picked the locks on the chains and he and Jason freed Hercules. Hercules sat up, slowly. The drugs they'd used were still affecting him somewhat. They watched the constables lead the worshipers off to jail, where they would spend a nice long sentence for attempted murder.

"You know, Herc, I'm getting a little tired of all your murderous relatives and their followers. Don't you have any sane kin?" Iolaus asked.

"Well, Hephaestus is a good guy. But other than that, I have no idea. It would be nice to meet someone in the family tree who wasn't trying to kill me."

Jason slapped Herc on the shoulder. "Yeah, right, buddy, dream on!"

Hercules winced at Jason's choice of words. "I think dreaming is the one thing I don't want to do any more of - once was enough!"

"Yeah, but if you hadn't had that dream, then you probably would have been killed," Iolaus said.

Herc thought about that for a moment. "Yeah...you're probably right. I've never had any kind of dreams like that before, though. I wonder what made me have this one?"

Not what, my son, but who thought the older man standing behind a pillar, watching the young men walk out into the sunlight. _And you think I don't care_ he thought, as he misted away.


End file.
